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  • Allen via McIntyre East Tract

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ID:	507964 I went in there on Monday to check out what the DEC was actually doing. A few photos are posted here. I only went as far as the junction where the cabin was, but the two workmen I spoke with said it was similar all the way to the crossong of Dudley Brook. It appeared that there had been a fair amount of traffic already on the route. This traffic has already started to lower the "passes" through the piles of dirt, or create bypasses around the mounds of earth. So, not impassable by any means, but definitely not as nice as a few weeks ago. If someone is willing, a report on the time for one route over the other would be useful. The best would be a group splitting up, so each time was in the same direction, but at the same time I have never been a fan of splitting groups.
    Three of the photos provide a sample of the barriers in the road with some evidence of "passes" through the barriers. The fourth with the gate shows just how much the wide road created for the salvage logging in 1999 has naturally "re-naturalized". This makes me question why such a major effort was required when it would have naturally grown in at no cost to the State.


    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ft9...ew?usp=sharing
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aIw...ew?usp=sharing
    Last edited by tgoodwin; 08-01-2020, 08:26 AM. Reason: Adding two more photos. Sorry for the poor formatting.

  • #2
    As I commented elsewhere, I am assuming that since this is part of the High Peaks Wilderness, no power tools or equipment is being used for this destruction. If power equipment is allowed, why is it not allowed elsewhere for trail building? When you say "traffic", do you mean motor vehicle traffic?
    Mike

    ADK 46r #8003; 6W
    2nd round: 16
    SL6r #596
    Catskill 3500 21/39; 11W

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    • Hear the Footsteps
      Hear the Footsteps commented
      Editing a comment
      I recall you saying some time back it would be a nice ski trip. I think now Forget It.

  • #3
    MTV Hike: Apparently, heavy equipment is permitted for "renaturalization" projects like this one. Here are two photos of the collection of machines at the junction where the cabin was. The large steel frame is the bridge that had been pulled out of Dudley Brook.
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    • #4
      Hi Tony. I was in there today, August 1st and the old roads are a mess. I've used the various roads about a dozen times the last few years and had never seen a soul until July when I came across the workers pulling some culverts out. At that time they had only ruined the road from the Jeep Ford of the Opalescent to the main road where you take a left to reach the large clearing (where the removed Dudley Brook bridge is shown in your photos above.)

      Today from the Opalescent I took the old logging road that parallels the North side of Dudley Brook to the overgrown clearing then down to where the Iron Bridge used to be. As you know the bridge was gone but they left the gigantic manufactured concrete blocks below it in place. I guess too much work to remove? From there I took the road that leaves the clearing up the hill and runs to Skylight Brook. This was ruined far worse than what I saw a month ago on the section near the ford. They dug the same pits every 50-100 feet but also piled many large logs and debris in the road. These are all passable by foot but extremely obnoxious and quite frankly dangerous. They removed the hardpacked road surface and now there is loose sand and dirt to sink into in all the pits they dug-almost like quicksand in some spots. They stopped their destruction at a small water crossing 1.5 miles from the clearing where the road gets more overgrown and narrow. Because they stopped here they did leave the wooden plank bridge with the giant iron culvert underneath it a little further up towards Allen.

      I also noticed the road North of the old Dudley Brook bridge had been ruined as had both sides beyond the small road section on the normal herdpath near the Interior Register. The excavator and bucket loader were still in the large clearing and I'm guessing that next week they will cut up and haul out the old bridge then begin working South to destroy the rest of the road in the wilderness.

      This just seems like such a waste of resources to destroy old roads when there are many similar roads all over the High Peaks, in fact there are many gravel and stone roads on the "real" Allen trail as your picture illustrates so well! We've really been short changed on the infrastructure to Allen with 2 failures of the Suspension bridge over the Opalescent - the first lasting ~7 years and the 2nd one likely to never be replaced. We've had the Hudson bridge ruined at least once, maybe twice. Lake Jimmy's bridge floated away and the new trail is longer than it used to be. These roads were a wonderful improvement to get to Allen but I guess nothing gold can stay.

      I'll be taking the trail/herdpath from now on going in and out. I won't go back to the roads again with their current state.

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      • #5
        Sad. Only a matter of time before this damaged overall area is abandoned by users, as soon as a good path is developed (by users) from White Lily Pond.

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        • #6
          This was a great way to get to North River and Cheney Cobble.

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          • Hear the Footsteps
            Hear the Footsteps commented
            Editing a comment
            Agreed. It's was how Claudia and I got there several year ago.

        • #7
          These old logging roads should be maintained and gated. The SAR people already go in on UTVs when they can.
          Mike

          ADK 46r #8003; 6W
          2nd round: 16
          SL6r #596
          Catskill 3500 21/39; 11W

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          • #8
            I have seen similar destruction of old logging roads and fire supression access roads in conservation areas in southern Ontario to prevent/discourage use by dirt bikes, trucks, atvs and snow machines. With the amount of snow that falls in the Adirondacks, it probably would not stop the latter but the argument in favour here was that it was more cost-effective than other means of enforcement. While I agree that it's not very pretty, I have not found that it much impairs my ability to hike those old roads or, for that matter, to snowshoe them. Enforcement budgets seem to be an issue not easily solved.
            Last edited by Orono Stewie; 08-04-2020, 06:25 PM.
            Orono Stewie

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            • #9
              I was looking forward to trying out the new route (which would've shaved off up to 0.5mi each way from what I've heard), but no longer.

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              • Hear the Footsteps
                Hear the Footsteps commented
                Editing a comment
                Saved me about an hour each time I used it.

            • #10
              Thanks for posting this, Tony.

              Just when I start to think this state can't possibly get any stupider, they pull some ish like this. Would a few gates have hurt? How about leaving the roads at least somewhat usable for emergency vehicles? How much is this costing them (us) to have this crew basically make a huge mess out of that road network when it probably would have reclaimed itself after a few years.

              So now there's tons upon tons of construction/infrastructure debris that has to be disposed of, most of the roads are now completely impassible due to unsafe water crossings, and they removed routes which would have kept foot traffic concentrated to harden surfaces. If this is what being "green" looks like nowadays, count me out. It looks more like a project that only gov't agencies can dream up so they can claim to have used their budget for the year.

              They could at least "upcycle" and throw that bridge over the Opie so it'll finally have a permanent span for once.
              My mind was wandering like the wild geese in the west.

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